Overview
- The case at Southampton Crown Court concerns separate incidents in November 2024 and January 2025 in the New Forest town of Fordingbridge.
- Two defendants, now 15, each face four rape counts relating to the first complainant, with one of them also charged with two rapes in the January incident and three indecent photographs of a child.
- The third defendant, now 14, is accused of aiding and abetting and faces two rape counts in relation to the January episode.
- Prosecutors said the first girl met one boy via Snapchat, went to an underpass, then felt pressured when others arrived as the boys laughed and recorded, and that clips were later circulated with mocking messages.
- In the January account, the court heard the first defendant allegedly threatened the girl with a knife, told her to leave an Airtag‑equipped phone in a shop, and footage on the second defendant’s phone showed the assault, though the prosecution noted CCTV did not show a knife and a witness said the girl talked about ditching her phone; all three deny the charges and the trial continues.